Most parents of infants and young children are very familiar with drinking cups often referred to as “sippy” or “sip” cups. Sip cups as currently known in the art typically comprises a cup portion which is fabricated from a plastic material and formed in the same general shape as a conventional paper drinking cup. In addition to this cup portion, the sip cup includes a lid which is engageable to the top rim of the cup portion. The lid itself typically includes an elongate spout which protrudes from a peripheral portion of the top surface thereof and includes a flow opening therein which fluidly communicates with the interior of the sip cup. In certain sip cups, the lid is threadably engaged to the cup portion, i.e., the cup portion is formed to include external threads about the rim thereof, with the lid being internally threaded with complementary threads. In other sip cups, the lid is frictionally engaged to the cup portion. The lid of some sip cups is provided with a valve arrangement which allows liquid to be drawn out of the flow passage of the spout when suction is applied thereto, but otherwise prevents liquid from spilling or dripping out of the spout when the sip cup is turned upside down or on its side and no suction is being applied to the spout.
In eating establishments where young children or toddlers are often found (e.g., fast-food restaurants, amusement park concession stands, etc.), it is the typical practice that a beverage is provided in a paper drinking cup. The paper drinking cup is typically provided with a plastic lid enclosure on one end thereof to contain the liquid within the cup, the lid enclosure including a slit for accommodating the advancement of a straw therethrough into the interior of the cup. Oftentimes, a toddler cannot be trusted to drink out of the cup/straw arrangement since there is still a high susceptibility for the lid enclosure to be dislodged from the cup and the contents spilling over the toddler. As such, it is a common practice for parents to pour the contents of the paper drinking cup into the cup portion of a sip cup, thereafter re-attaching the lid to the cup portion of the sip cup. The sip cup filled with the beverage is typically easier for the toddler to handle, and has substantially less susceptibility to spillage.
However, the initial transfer of the beverage from within the paper cup into the cup portion of the sip cup itself creates a susceptibility to accidental spillage. The present invention addresses this problem by providing a paper cup sip adaptor which is specifically sized and configured for retrofit attachment to a conventional paper beverage cup and provides the functional attributes of the lid of a sip cup.